A lifesaving vaccine against Meningitis B is set to be licensed for use in the UK in a move that could save thousands of lives.

The disease, which is the most
common and deadliest form of meningitis in the country, affects an average of
1,870 people a year, many of them children, and results in death for one in 10
sufferers.

The approval of the new 4CMenB
vaccine, which is developed by pharmaceutical company Novartis, has been hailed
as the "biggest leap forward in the field in the three decades" by
the charity Meningitis UK.

It yesterday received a
"positive opinion" verdict from the European Medicines Agency (EMA),
meaning that the vaccine is considered safe and effective.

It will be the first Meningitis B
vaccine approved for use in the UK, which has one of the highest incidence
rates in the world.

One in four sufferers are left with
life changing after- effects, such as brain damage and limb loss, with children
under five most at risk from the disease. It can sometimes kill babies and
toddlers in under four hours.

The charity said the next stage will
be to give the vaccine - trade name Bexsero - a marketing licence, with 99% of
positive opinions lead to a licence for use. It is expected to receive its UK
licence early next year.

Meningitis UK wants the vaccine to
be introduced into the Government's routine immunisation schedule as soon as
possible, so it will be automatically given to children. The jab is recommended
for those aged two months and older.

Meningitis UK founder Steve Dayman,
who lost his baby son to meningitis and septicaemia in 1982, said: "This
is a landmark moment in the fight against meningitis - I have waited three
decades to hear this.

"It is vital that the vaccine
is introduced in the UK immunisation schedule as soon as possible. It will save
countless lives and prevent many people enduring the suffering caused by this
devastating disease.

"We will be campaigning hard to
make the Government introduce it."

The decision on whether to introduce
the vaccine to the immunisation schedule will be made by the Joint Committee on
Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), who advise the Government on vaccination.

There are a large number of
Meningitis B strains in the UK - more than in many other countries - which
makes producing a vaccine very difficult. Meningitis B accounts for about 90 per cent of cases in the UK.

The new vaccine is described as a
real breakthrough as studies have shown it should protect against 73% of
strains which cause the disease in the UK.

Scientists have been attempting to
develop a broad-ranging Meningitis B vaccine for years and have used a
revolutionary new approach called reverse vaccinology to create it.

This involved sequencing the genome
of the bacteria and identifying proteins that provoke an immune response
against a broad range of strains.

Andrin Oswald, division head of
Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, said: "We are proud of the major
advance that our Meningococcal Group B Vaccine represents within the field of
vaccine development against what up until now has been a very challenging
disease target.

"For over two decades, our
researchers and clinicians have been dedicated to finding a solution to prevent
MenB disease. Our steadfast determination has been inspired by the testimonies
from survivors and families who have lost loved ones to this disease."

Dr Myron Christodoulides, chairman
of Meningitis UK's scientific medical advisory panel and expert in microbiology
and infection at the University of Southampton, said: "4CMenB is a crucial
breakthrough in the fight against Meningitis B.

"It has been shown in a
clinical programme to induce potentially protective immune responses in infants
and adolescents.

"Despite this potential, the
vaccine may not provide complete coverage of the Meningitis B strains in the
population.

"In the UK, strain coverage is
predicted to be approximately 73 per cent but this is based on new methodology and it
may be many years until we know how well the vaccine works.

"Thus, to achieve even higher
coverage, new research is still urgently needed to find additional proteins
that can be used for developing more broadly-protective vaccines."

Meningitis UK's Search 4 a Vaccine
Campaign aims to raise £7 million to help fund research to eradicate all forms
of meningitis.

For more information, call 0117 947
6320 or visit www.meningitisuk.org.